Thanksgiving From Hell
by Jayne Leigh
Summary: AU fic, Josh meets Donna's family for the first time and while he's having the worst weekend of his life in Wisconsin, all hell breaks lose back in Washington. J/D ch3
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, here's a new series that won my last poll!!! Haven't given up on my other stories. There will be updates really soon!!! A big thanks to Cathy for her help!!! Please review and let me know what you think!!! **

**Enjoy!!!**

**Thanksgiving From Hell**

"Hey, Josh. You got a minute?" Sam asked, walking into the Deputy Chief of Staff's office.

"Uh, yeah sure," Josh turned away from the computer to face him. "What's up?"

"What's your plans for Thanksgiving?" Sam asked, sitting in the chair in front of the desk.

"The normal, catching the football game and drinking beer," Josh replied. "It's just Donna and me. You're welcome to join us."

Josh and Donna had been together almost two years now. They had started dating at Christmas. Josh had been struggling to deal with the shooting and turned to Donna for help. No one had been surprised when Josh admitted his feelings for his assistant and everyone, including the President, was happy for the couple. There had been a few rumbles from the Press about it but C.J handled it expertly, stating that they were both single adults and were doing nothing wrong. Within a week, the press found something else to be interested in. Their relationship seemed to get stronger and stronger each day and on their one year anniversary, Josh had proposed and Donna accepted.

"Actually, I was going to invite the two of you to my thing," Sam said.

"What?"

"Dinner," he told him. "Turkey, stuffing, gravy…The works."

Josh raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. "You're cooking?"

"What? God, no…We're going out."

"Who's we?"

"Mallory and I."

Josh smiled slightly. "You're spending Thanksgiving with Mallory?"

Sam sighed. "It's not a big deal."

"No, of course not…"

"Will you come?"

"I'll check with Donna but wouldn't you prefer to spend it alone?" He asked.

"Leo's coming."

"What?"

"Leo's coming too," Sam explained. "Mal thought it would be nice for the three of us to spend some time together without having to worry about work."

Josh stared at him for a few seconds before he laughed.

"Josh!"

"I'm sorry…" He managed to get out. "But…You're spending Thanksgiving not only with your girlfriend's father but your boss too."

"You're supposed to be my best friend!" Sam exclaimed.

"And?"

"And you're supposed to help me!"

"Okay, fine…I'm sure Donna won't have a problem with it," Josh told him. "Go tell Mal you've got two more guests for dinner."

"Great, I owe you." He stood up and headed for the door.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?" He stopped in the doorway and turned back to face Josh.

"I've known Mallory since we were kids…She's like a little sister to me…"

"Yeah," Sam said slowly, nodding his head slightly, unsure what Josh's meaning was.

"What makes you think I'll be on your side and not Leo's?"

Sam stared at Josh for a few seconds, thinking about what he just said. "Huh."

Josh laughed slightly and shook his head as he watched Sam turn and walk away, completely bewildered.

_**XxXxX**_

Josh glanced across the table at Donna as they ate dinner in silence. They had finished early and were having a night in together but Donna had been quiet all night and Josh wasn't sure whether it was something he had done. She was fine that morning and he hadn't seen her much throughout the day. When they had decided to start a relationship, Leo had moved her to another department which neither of them was too happy about but it had worked out. They still worked closely together and Donna had been given a bit more responsibility but there were days when they didn't see each other.

"So, this is nice," Josh commented, breaking the silence.

"Yeah."

"I mean, when was the last time we finished work before 7pm?" He continued, pushing his empty plate to the side a little and reaching for the wine bottle. He re-filled his glass and went to pour her some more when he noticed her glass was still full. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, fine…" She replied. "Just tired."

"Oh, okay…" He frowned a little but decided to let it go for now. "So, Sam came to see me today…"

""Yeah?"

"Yeah, to invite us to Thanksgiving dinner."

"Sam's cooking?"

"Nah, he's spending it with Mallory and Leo so they're going to some restaurant," Josh told her. "Sam's a bit nervous about it…Could be fun to watch Leo mess with him."

"I suppose…"

"We don't have to," he said quickly. "If you want it to be just the two of us…"

"No, it's not that…" She started but then sighed. "It's just…"

"Just what?"

"My Mom phoned today." She put her fork down and looked up at him. "She wants the whole family there for Thanksgiving."

"You want to go to Wisconsin?"

"I don't know."

"You can if you want," he told her. "I mean, they're your family and you haven't seen them in a while…"

"Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not going without you."

"You want me to go?!" He exclaimed.

"You think you could get the time off?"

"Donna…" He whined a little. "Your parents hate me!"

"That's because they don't know you."

"They don't want to get to know me either," he replied. "What happened to not talking to them until they accepted our relationship?"

"They're my parents, Josh."

"I know but…If I'm there then it'll just ruin your Thanksgiving." he replied, thinking back to when Donna had called to tell them the news of their engagement they had told her how much they disapproved of their relationship. He remembered having to hold her for hours while she cried herself to sleep on what was meant to be one of the happiest nights of their life. "I just don't want you getting upset."

"Things change," she said quietly, looking down.

"What things?" He asked but didn't get a reply. "Donna? What things?"

She looked up slowly and opened her mouth but no words came out.

"Donna?" He stood up and walked around the table until he was by her side. "What's happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm pregnant."

Josh stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes widening. "Pre..pregnant?"

"Yeah."

"With a baby?"

"Yes."

"My baby?"

"Josh!"

"Right, s-s-sorry…" He stuttered, reaching down and picking up her untouched glass and taking a big mouthful of wine. "Wow…A baby?"

"Yeah, a baby," she stood up and took the now empty wine glass out of his hand, placing it on the table. "Our baby."

Josh dropped down into the chair she just vacated and tried to get his head to stop spinning.

"Is this for real?" He asked, looking up at her. "I mean, this is certain?"

"I've done three tests," she nodded slightly. "All positive…"

"We're going to have a baby?"

"I guess so."

"I'm sorry," Josh after a few seconds of silence.

She looked at him quickly. "What for?"

"For not knowing what to say," he stood up and put his hands on her waist.

"But not for the baby?"

He frowned a little. "Well, no…We talked about kids."

"But we were going to wait for another couple of years, though," she pointed out.

"Yeah…" He said slowly, nodding a little. "But we can handle this, right? This is a good thing?"

A small smiled spread across her face. "Yeah, it's a good thing."

He tightened his hold on her as she placed her head on his chest.

They were going to have a baby… He was going to be a father…What if he wasn't ready to be a father?

_**XxXxX**_

"Leo, Josh wants a minute," Margaret told him from the doorway and then disappeared when Leo nodded it was okay.

Leo put down the file he was reading and took off his glasses as his deputy entered the room and closed the door.

"What's so important it couldn't wait till staff?" Leo questioned.

"Uh, it's kind of personal…"

"Kind of?"

"It's about Thanksgiving…" Josh started. "I was wondering…I could do with some time off…"

"Time off?" Leo repeated. "Mallory told me you were joining us."

"Yeah, things have changed…"

"Your mom decided she wanted to spend Thanksgiving with you?"

Josh sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Donna wants to go to Wisconsin."

"And you want to go with her?" He asked in surprised.

"No."

"Yet you're here asking for time off anyway?"

"That's what future husbands do, isn't it?"

"I guess…"

"So, can I?"

"Josh, Thanksgiving is a few days away," Leo sighed.

"Yeah."

"It's a bit short notice…" Leo replied.

"Well, there's nothing happening…" Josh argued. "And it's not like it's in Australia."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Thanks because I didn't realize that."

"Is there something happening?" Josh asked.

"It's just…" Leo started but then paused for a second. "I'm just curious to why you suddenly want to spend a holiday with Donna's family…I thought they disapproved."

"They do which is one of the reasons we're going."

"One of the reasons?" Leo asked.

"Yeah…Donna's…"

"Donna's what?"

"Uh, nothing…" Josh replied, remembering Donna had said it was bad luck tell during the first 12 weeks.

"Josh? Donna is okay, isn't she?" Leo looked at him in concern.

"She's fine…"

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You look like you haven't slept at all…"

He rubbed his tired eyes again. "I'm fine too."

"Josh."

"Donna told me last night…" He started, deciding it might help if he talked about it.

"Told you what?"

"That's she's having a baby," he replied, quickly before he could change his mind.

Leo stared at him in shock. There was no way he was expecting Josh to walk in here and tell him he was going to be father.

"We're not telling anyone yet…something about bad luck."

"Wow."

"Tell me about it."

"This is why you're going to Wisconsin?"

"Yeah, it's important to Donna."

Leo gave a small nod. "Let me talk to some people…see if I can free you up."

"Leo, if something big is happening…"

Leo held up his hand to stop it. "It's probably nothing…I'll give you an answer by the end of the day."

"Okay, thanks…" Josh hesitated slightly, his mind going over all the possibilities it could be. "Right, I got some stuff to do before staff…"

"Josh?" Leo called before his deputy could open the door. "Congratulations."

Josh forced a smile but Leo could see it was a fake one.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing… it's just… nothing."

"Josh?"

"Kids were meant to come later," he claimed. "I'm not ready now."

"If everyone waited until they were ready…"

"I don't know how to be a Dad…" Josh continued.

"You'll be fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you…" He shrugged. "When you really want something, you don't stop until you get it."

"Yeah…" Josh replied quietly but said no more. He didn't want to tell his boss…the man he looked up to, who had been a second father to him, that he wasn't sure if he wanted this baby at all.

Leo watched him for a minute, trying to work out what was going through his mind.

"Anyway…I'll see you in a bit." Josh replied, breaking the silence and leaving the office.

_**XxXxX**_

Josh was sitting at his desk, deep in thought. It felt like his head was going to explode. Donna was pregnant. She was going to have a baby; his baby. He couldn't get his mind around that. He loved Donna and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her but he wasn't sure if he was ready for this. They had talked about having kids and Josh did want to have a family but not now…not before they were married. His job was crazy and he felt guilty enough when he didn't spend as much time as he should with Donna…Now there was going to be a kid added to the equation.

"I've solved the problem."

"Huh?" Josh looked over at the door and saw Sam stood there.

"I've solved the problem," he repeated, stepping fully into the room.

Josh ran a hand over his face and sat up straighter. "Problem?"

"Yeah, the Thanksgiving problem." Sam sat down in front of the desk. "I've invited Toby to dinner."

Josh stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly. "You want to start from the beginning?"

"About you coming to Thanksgiving dinner with me, Mallory and Leo," Sam replied. "I invited Toby to join us so I can have someone on my side."

Josh sighed. "About that…It looks like we're not going to be able to make it."

"What? I thought you didn't have any plans."

"We didn't but then I talked to Donna about it and it seems that she has her heart set on going home."

"Home?" Sam repeated. "Wisconsin home?"

"Unfortunately for me, yes."

"You know what this is, don't you…" A smile slowly spread across his face. "This is karma."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "Karma?"

"For laughing at me," Sam explained. "This is the universe's way of getting pay back."

"You really need to stop reading all those girly magazines."

"I'm just saying that at least Leo likes me, kind of…" Sam replied. "Donna's parents hate you."

"Yeah, thanks for clearing that up for me."

"You're seriously going?"

"Looks like it unless Leo can come up with a good excuse to get me out of it." Josh replied, his mind drifting back to his conversation with Leo earlier. He couldn't quite work out what was going on but he was sure something was happening.

"Well, I suppose this is a good thing," Sam continued, not noticing Josh had stopped paying attention to him. "I mean, if the two of you are going to spend the rest of your lives together, then I guess you should try and get along with her family."

"What?"

"Were you even listening to me at all?"

"Not really, no."

"See, now I'm not going to help you."

"You were going to help me?" Josh raised an eyebrow.

"Not really, no," Sam replied and walked out the office.

Josh sighed and looked back down at the file on his desk.

_**XxXxX**_

Later that day, Josh was called into the Oval office. He was surprised to see Ron Butterfield stood with the President and Leo.

"Ah, Josh come on in and sit down," The President said as he walked around from behind the desk and moved towards the couches. Once the President was seated, Josh, Leo and Ron followed suit.

"Leo tells us you're thinking about spending Thanksgiving in Wisconsin," The President looked over at Josh.

Josh glanced across at Leo before looking back to the President. "Yes, Sir…Donna's mother wants to have the whole family there and according to Donna, that includes me."

Jed laughed lightly. "Well, I guess you'll have to get used to that. Once you're married, you'll be a part of the Moss family for life."

Josh smiled a little. "Yes, Sir."

"When do you need to leave?" Leo questioned.

"Uh Tuesday evening," Josh answered. "And we'd be back late on Sunday."

Leo looked over to Ron, who gave a small nod.

"I'm sorry but can I ask what's going on? I mean, if it's a problem then…"

"It's not a problem, Mr. Lyman." Ron spoke for the first time.

"Then what's all this about?"

Jed sighed. "There have been some letters."

Josh paused for a moment. "Threatening letters?"

"Yes."

"To whom?"

"To me," Leo told him. "And to you."

"Just us?" Josh asked and Leo nodded. "What do they say?"

"Don't worry about that…"

"Leo, what do they say?"

"Death threats, mainly," Ron told him causing Leo to glare at him.

Josh leaned back against the couch, trying to get his head around all of this.

"They don't give a reason why it's the two of you and not anyone else in the administration…" Ron continued. "And so far, they've been anonymous and haven't given us a clue who they're from."

"You're taking this seriously, though?" Josh asked before realizing what a stupid question that was. Of course they were taking it seriously, otherwise they wouldn't be telling him about it. "I mean, does this mean you don't want me to go Wisconsin?"

"I'm not going to lie and say it wouldn't be easier if you stayed here but it's not going to be a problem for you to go."

"You'll take a few agents with you…" Leo started.

"Oh come on, you're kidding me," he whined.

"Josh…"

"Leo, I'm trying to get Donna's parents to like me. They already think I'm some egomaniac snob!" Josh quoted what Mr. Moss had called him when he found out about their engagement. "How good do you think it'll look if I turn up for Thanksgiving dinner with the secret service?"

"Maybe the agents will make you look more important." Leo replied. "Or failing that, they'll actually stop any of Donna's family trying to kill you."

"While that is a good point there's also the fact that, we're supposed to be staying at Donna's parent's house," Josh replied. "There's barely going to be enough room for Donna and me. It'll be madness if there are agents there too."

"That might not be an issue," Ron informed him. "We've done a quick scan of the area that Miss Moss' family lives in and we've found a property where we can base our agents."

"Would we need to stay there too?" Josh asked.

"Not if you're willing to have a panic button on you at all times and you make regular calls to check in," Ron told him. "We'd also need a list of people that you will be staying with and spending time with."

"Right, okay," Josh sighed, running a hand over his face. "Are you sure this is safe? That I'm not putting Donna or anyone else in danger?"

"We'll post an agent to watch the Moss' house at all times and we'll be able to get you out of there within seconds." Ron said. "You'll be fine. Trust us; it's our job to keep you safe."

Josh looked over at Leo and the President, trying to work out their thoughts on this. He'd never forgive himself if someone was hurt because he had made the wrong decision.

"Why don't why leave it there for the time being," Leo suggested. "Josh, get the list of people together and give it to Ron then we'll discuss it some more once we've got everything in place."

"Yeah, okay…I'll talk to Donna about it. I should be able to get the list to you within the hour."

"That would fine" Ron replied. "Was there anything else, Mr. President?"

"No, that's all. Thanks Ron."

"Thank you, Mr. President." Ron stood up, glancing at Leo and Josh, then turned and left the office once he saw they had nothing to add.

"Ron wouldn't let you go if he didn't think you'd be safe," Jed tried to reassure Josh.

"Yeah, I guess," Josh replied, still sounding unsure. "You really have no idea who's behind this?"

"There have been a total of 3 letters. The first two were aimed at me, the third was at you," Leo told him. "Ron has put a top time together and they'll find out whoever is behind this."

"What if we stay here?" Josh asked. "We wouldn't need the Secret Service with us?"

"Josh, this is a creditable threat," Leo replied. "You'll be getting protection whether you are."

"Yeah, okay." Josh sighed.

"You'll get Ron that list?"

"I'll talk to Donna." Josh replied, taking his cue to stand up.

"Was there anything else, Sir?" Leo looked over at Jed as he stood up too.

"No, we're done."

"Thank you, Mr. President," Leo said, moving towards his office, gesturing for Josh to follow.

Leo closed the adjoining door behind Josh and turned to watch his Deputy for a moment before speaking. "You really will be safe, you know."

"Except we don't know that," Josh replied. "We don't know what this maniac has planned."

"It'll fine," Leo told him. "Don't worry about it."

Josh ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah."

"Besides, you've got more important things to worry about, like how you're going to tell your mother that I knew she was going to be a Grandmother before she did." He teased lightly.

"A few hours ago, my biggest worry was that I'd never be able to find time to be a father." Josh said slowly. "Now I've got to worry about how to keep a baby safe from crazy people who hate me."

Leo paused trying to decide what might be the best thing to say. He could tell that Josh was having a hard time adjusting to the idea of being a father. He didn't want to make things worse.

"You don't need to worry about it. That's what the Secret Service is for." Leo replied. "Besides, maybe getting away for a few days and spending some time with Donna will do you some good."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Josh replied. "I guess, I should go find her and get that list."

"Okay, let me know if you need anything."

Josh nodded a little before turning and leaving. He slowly made his way towards his office, trying to decide how much he should tell Donna. He didn't want to freak her out. They hadn't left for Wisconsin and it was already the worst Thanksgiving ever.

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay,Guys. Here's the next chapter! Thank you all so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming!!! I promise you I'll have more chapters for you soon! A big thanks to Sarah for all your help again!!! Anyway! **

**Enjoy!!! **

**Thanksgiving from Hell**

Josh walked through the West Wing towards his office with his head down to try and avoid anyone who might stop him. He couldn't believe how much his life has changed in the last 24 hours. This time yesterday, he was happily going about his life, looking forward to torturing Sam during Thanksgiving dinner and helping Donna make the main decisions for their wedding while they both had a few days off. Now he had to go to Wisconsin with the Secret Service in tow. The worst part was he has to explain all of this to Donna.

"Did you talk to Leo?"

He looked up and saw Donna sitting at his desk. "Hey."

"Hi, I got lunch," she sat forward and started to un-wrap the food. "I even got you a burger with fries."

"Really?" He questioned as he closed the door, noticing there seemed to more on the desk then their normal lunch order. "What did you get for yourself?"

"I got a chicken salad sandwich, onion rings, some chips, a chocolate shake and a coke."

He stared at her in disbelief.

"Shut up, I'm hungry!" She said, defensively.

"Okay," he replied and took a seat in one of the visitor's chairs. "That's normal, right?"

"The food?" She asked as she placed some chips inside her sandwich. "I think so."

"You're not just using the baby as an excuse to pig out?"

She rolled her eyes and decided to change the conversation. "So, did you talk to Leo?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"He said no?" Her face fell with disappointment at the tone of his voice.

"No, he said it was okay but..."

"But what?"

Josh sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Josh? What is it?"

"How would your family feel about a few extra guests?"

"What kind of guests?"

"Ones that wear black suits."

"If you're talking about Will Smith then..." Donna started but then her voice trailed off when she worked out who he was talking about. She stared at him. "You want to bring the secret service to my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner? Josh, my family may have a little bit of Italian in them but they're not the Mafia."

"It's Leo's idea..." He informed her. "Well, not really idea...order."

"Order?" Donna repeated, confused and concerned. "Leo wants you to have Secret Service protection while you're in Wisconsin?"

"While I'm anywhere."

"Josh, what the hell is going on?"

"There have been some threats toward Leo and me," he explained. "Ron Butterfield has a team working on who's behind it but until they've caught them, I'm going to need a detail."

"Well, we should stay here then."

"No, it's not going to make much difference," Josh replied. "It'll be okay."

"Someone wants to hurt you. How is that okay?"

"It will be okay," he stood up and walked around the desk to kneel down beside her. "They'll catch whoever is behind this before anything happens."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do."

Donna was silent for a few seconds, trying to absorb what he had just told her.

"So, I'm going to have to tell my Mom that the Secret Service will be taking over her house?"

He shook his head. "No, they're going to stay somewhere nearby but there will an agent posted outside your parents' while we're there...Plus I'll have a panic button and will have to call to check in every now and then."

"Okay..." She said quietly.

"And Ron wants a list of people that we'll be with."

"He's going to run background checks on my family?" She asked and Josh nodded. "Well, it's a good thing my Cousin Billy isn't going to be there then..."

"Why? What did Cousin Billy do?" Josh asked, wryly.

"It's a long story." She waved her hand dismissively. "When does he need the list by?"

"As soon as possible," Josh answered.

She sighed. "Okay, I'll call my Mom after lunch and find out who's been invited."

"Thank you," he said softly, placing his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb gently across her knuckles. "Leo seems to think that the secret service will make me look more important and help your parents to like me."

"Or help you in case they try to kill you."

Josh smiled. "He said that too."

"You really think it'll all be okay?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Besides, if we're going to send the rest of our lives together then I should meet your parents and at least try and get along with them."

"I guess."

"It'll be fine," he squeeze her hand gently and then picked up her sandwich, holding it out to her. "Now, eat up."

"Okay," She smiled slightly and took the sandwich.

Josh moved back to the visitors' chair again but before he could sit down Toby walked in.

"Hey, what's up?" Josh asked.

"Why am I spending Thanksgiving with you, Sam and Leo?"

"You're not."

"I had a long, strange conversation with Sam last night about it and he somehow got me thinking that I was..."

"I mean, you're not spending it with me Josh cut in. "But Sam will still need your help with Leo."

Toby sighed loudly. "Who has he hit on now?"

Josh let out a laugh. "No one...Mallory invited him to Thanksgiving dinner with her and Leo."

"And he wants me to play bodyguard?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Does he not think I have enough work to do without..." Toby trailed off as he watched Donna. "Donna? What the hell are you doing?"

Josh turned around and saw that she had not only stolen his fries but was dipping them into her chocolate milkshake.

"I'm eating my lunch!" She snapped. "Do you have a problem with that?!"

"Um, no?" Toby answered but it sounded more like a question. He glanced across at Josh who looked just as confused as he was.

"Good!"

They both stayed silent as they watched Donna gather up the rest of her lunch, including Josh's fries and leave the office.

"What the...?" Toby started to ask but Josh cut him off.

"Don't ask."

"Right, okay," he shook his head a little. "I'm going to go now."

"Yeah," Josh nodded and walked behind his desk, dropping into his chair. He really hoped that everything was going to be as simple as he promised Donna they would be.

_XxXxX_

An hour and a half later, just as Josh hung up the phone with Senator Collins, Donna appeared in the doorway.

"Hey," he glanced up at her as he made a few quick notes on a file.

"Okay, don't kill me."

He looked up again at her. "What?"

"It's funny really, when you think about it."

"Donna..."

"And well, I've told you what my family is like," she continued to ramble, stepping a little more into the office but keeping her distance from him. "Besides, you'll have the secret service with you."

"This is about Thanksgiving?" He guessed.

"Uh, yeah..."

"What is it?"

"You can't get mad at me," she told him. "It's going to be worse for me, really."

"Donna, just tell me."

"Andrew is going to be there."

"Andrew?" Josh repeated and it took a few seconds for him to work out who she was talking about. "Doctor Free-Ride?"

"Josh..."

"Do you parent's invite him to dinner every year?"

"No, not every year."

"So, just whenever you are there?"

"Pretty much, yeah..." She sighed. "I'm going to call them and say we can't come..."

"No."

"Josh..."

"You want to go and see them."

"Yeah, but there's all those threats and now my parents are trying to set me back up with Andrew again and you'll end up getting angry and possibly arrested..." She rambled and started to get a little emotional. "You'll be in jail and the Secret Service won't like it...Leo and C.J will be pissed..."

"Hey, hey, stop..." He put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing and then pulled her into his arms.

"Everything has gone wrong," she looked at him with tear filled eyes.

"Well, we'll fix it then," he said softly. "Getting away from here for a few days might be a good thing."

"What about Andrew?"

"You're not going to dump me and run off with him, are you?"

"Of course I'm not."

"Then I haven't got anything to worry about," he smiled. "Look, we'll go and see your family and if it's that bad we can always book into a hotel or come home."

"You really think it'll be okay?"

"Yeah, besides you get to show Doctor Free-Ride what he's missing out on."

She rolled her eyes. "Suck up."

"Damn right," he grinned and have her quick kiss on the lips. "Look, we're pretty much done for the day...Why don't you head home."

"What?"

"I won't be much longer, I've just got to finish this report and go see Leo and I'll be done," he claimed. "Go and have a nice hot bath, by the time you're done, I'll be home."

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes. "I'll even stop for Chinese on my way."

"And ice cream?"

"And ice cream," he nodded and then gestured to the door. "Go on, get out of here."

She smiled slightly and then placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as she handed over the paper with the list of people spending Thanksgiving with them before leaving the office.

Josh sighed and leaned back against his desk. He tilted his head and rubbed his hands across his face. Thinking back over the conversation he had just had with Donna. He couldn't believe how quickly her moods seemed to change. He tried to think back to how long she had been acting like this. He knew pregnancy could make women more emotional and have different mood swings, but why was he only noticing now?

However, it now made sense when she was crying at the toothpaste commercial the other day and how she got mad at him when the alarm clock went off one morning last week. She said he had set it too early and too loud; even though she was the one who'd set it. He remembered being a bit concerned that she was working too hard when she had fallen asleep everyday in the car on their way home. She had been sick a couple of times in the mornings and he had suggested that she take it easy...That maybe she was coming down with something. He wondered if that was when she had figured out she was pregnant. It all seemed so obvious now...He wondered why he hadn't made the connection before.

"I just saw Donna leaving..." Leo said from the doorway, startling him.

"Uh, yeah, I sent her home early," Josh stood up straighter and looked at his boss. "It's been a long day."

"Pending Fatherhood is changing you already," Leo teased gently, hoping to prompt a response from Josh.

He could remember when he first found out that Jenny was pregnant. He had been scared and unsure how to be a Dad but he could also remember an overwhelming feeling of excitement and happiness. He knew Josh was scared but he just hoped he felt the other stuff too.

"She got upset about something," Josh shrugged and started to sort through some paper on his desk. "Besides, I don't think the pending Fatherhood thing has sunk in yet."

"Josh? What's going on?"

"Hmm?"

"What's going on?" Leo repeated. "What's wrong?"

"Other than someone wanting to kill me and the fact that I have to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws plus my fiancée's ex-boyfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend?" Leo questioned.

"Don't ask," Josh waved his hand in the air. "Something to do with the fact, I'm not good enough for Donna and he is."

"You're the President's Deputy Chief of Staff; technically you're the third most powerful man in the United States..." Leo stated. "That's not good enough?"

"Well, he's a doctor and Donna's Mom is apparently secretly Jewish," Josh replied. "Anyway, aren't we meant to be meeting with Ron Butterfield right now?"

"Yeah, did you get the list from Donna?"

"Right here," Josh held it up as they left the office.

It wasn't until they were outside the Oval Office that Leo realised Josh had changed the subject but decided now wasn't the best time to bring it up again.

"Ah, here you both are," the President stood up and walked from behind his desk.

"Leo, Josh," Ron Butterfield greeted them and then gestured to the man next to him. "You both know Special Agent Wesley Davis...He'll be heading up Josh's detail."

Josh sighed quietly, he was glad that Wes was in charge of his detail. He knew him and liked him but he just wasn't keen on the idea of being surrounded by men carrying guns; even if they were on his side.

"So how does this work?" Josh asked and sat down when the other men in the room did.

"While you're in Washington, you'll have an agent with you wherever you go," Wes explained. "There will be myself as well as three other agents...We'll try and give you as much space as we can."

"And when we're in Wisconsin?"

"The team will be doubled," Wes told him. "We've already vetted the area and there are some agents posted there now. We have a house on the same block as the Moss' house and you'll be tailed every time you leave the house."

"You'll also need to call in every morning and evening," Ron added. "And if there is somewhere you want to go, we'll need to know beforehand."

Josh leaned back on the couch and sighed again. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Do you have the list of people you'll be staying with?" Ron asked, all of them ignoring his comment.

"Yeah, it's here," Josh handed the piece of paper that Donna had even him.

"Did you have any questions?"

"Are you any closer to finding out who is behind all this?"

"No, we've had no more leads at the moment

"Great."

"Right, was there anything else?" Leo looked around the room at everyone "Okay, we're done then...Mr President, you have a phone call with the British Prime Minister in five minutes."

"Okay, thanks Ron, Wes."

"Thank you, Mr President," both of the men replied and left the room.

"Josh? My office," Leo said, nodding towards door.

Josh followed Leo, leaving the President to take his call.

"You didn't answer my question earlier..." Leo started once the door was closed.

"What question?"

"When I asked what was wrong."

"Leo..."

"Josh, having a baby is a wonderful thing but its okay to be scared."

"Can we not do this?" Josh asked. "I promised Donna I'd pick up dinner..."

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay..."

"Okay, you're right...I'm scared and I'm a little freaked out but I only found out yesterday so it's all a little new to me..." Josh admitted as he walked around a little. "And right now I'd like to concentrate on the other hundred and one things that are happening."

"You know, you'll be a good Dad, right?"

Josh stopped his pacing and looked at his mentor.

"It'll be scary and it'll be unbelievably hard but you'll be just fine," Leo patted his arm gently. "Now, go home and be with your family."

Josh nodded a little and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah, okay...Thanks."

There was a small smile on Leo's face as he watched his Deputy leave. He knew Josh was going to be fine... All they needed to do now was to get past Thanksgiving and find the person behind the letters; then everything would be perfect.

**TBC**

**Please review!!!! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, thanks for all the reviews!!! Please keep them coming!! A big thanks to Sarah for her help!!! **

**Enjoy!!! **

**Thanksgiving From Hell**

"So, are you going to give me some tips?" Josh asked, glancing across at her before returning his eyes to the road. They had flown to Wisconsin and rented a car to drive to Donna's family home. Josh couldn't help but watch the car following behind that had two members of the Secret Service in it.

"Tips about what?" Donna looked at him.

"Survival tips for spending Thanksgiving with your family."

"You seem to be under the impression I know how to survive Thanksgiving with my family."

"Okay, comments like that aren't helping," Josh replied.

She shrugged. "We'll just stick together."

"If not, I'm bunking down with the Secret Service."

"Turn right here," she ignored his comment. "That's my road."

"We could just keep driving straight," he suggested.

"You're going to have to meet them sooner or later," she stated. "Might as well get it over with."

"Easy for you to say," he mumbled as he turned. He watched as the agents behind pulled over but another black car immediately took over and followed them down the road until Josh pulled into a driveway. "Do they know about the Secret Service?"

"I haven't told them yet," she replied. "I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"Most people bring pie... We bring armed guards."

"They might come in handy."

"You're really not helping me here."

"I'm sorry, it'll be fine," she tried to gave him a reassuring smile. "I hope."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Come on, lets get this over with."

They grabbed their bags; used to having to pack light, they only had one bag each. Donna used her key to open the front door but was stopped by one of the agents, who informed her that he needed to enter the house first.

"Well, at least they can't say we don't know how to make an entrance." Josh commented, leaning against the wall. He looked around, happy to see that the neighbourhood was quiet.

"All clear," the agent reappeared. "The house is empty."

"No one's in?" Donna questioned.

"No, Ma'am, you're parents left about 30 minutes ago," he informed them. "Mr Lyman, I need to see your panic button."

Josh pulled it out of his pocket and handed it over to the agent. "At least the Secret Service, still remains a secret."

"I can't believe they're not here to meet us," Donna said. "I told them what time we'd be here."

"Agent Davis is on his way over to brief you," the agent told Josh, giving him the panic button back.

"See, it's a good thing your parents aren't here...the agent probably would have freaked them out."

"I guess," Donna sighed just as Wesley Davis walked in.

"Hey, Wes," Josh greeted. "What's happening?"

"Right, well we have two agent in an unmarked car out front," Wes explained. "We have three more agents keeping surveillance on the neighbourhood and there are a couple of agents that will be around and about."

"Wow, that's a lot of people."

"It's just procedure," Wes tried to reassure her. "Was there anything you wanted to ask me?"

"We haven't told Donna's family about any of this," Josh informed him. "Is there anyway that we can keep it that way?"

Wes hesitated before answering. "It's just going to be your parents staying in this house with you?"

"Yeah." Donna nodded. "The rest of the guests are arriving Thursday."

"I'm not promising you anything but we can try," Wes told them. "But this means security will [need to] be heightened."

"What does that involve?"

"You'll need to call in at least once every two hours and if we see someone acting suspiciously, we will be removing you."

"It will be safe, though?" Donna questioned. "I mean, we're not putting Josh in danger?"

"It might be better this way. No one knows you're spending Thanksgiving here apart from the Moss family and we don't really want to attract too much attention to your visit," he answered. "Beside, we've done checks on your family and everything is clear unless you're under the impression that Josh isn't safe with your family..."

"Are you kidding?" Josh asked. "They all hate me."

Wes smiled at him. "Sorry, can't help you out with the in-laws unless one of physically attacks you."

"Damn."

"Right, well unless there's anything else, I'll leave you to settle in." Wes told him.

"Okay, thanks, Wes," Josh walked him to the door.

"Remember, if I haven't heard from you in the next two hours, I'm coming in." Wes warned. "And we need at least a couple of hours warning if you want to leave the house."

"Yeah, no problem." Josh replied.

He watched as Wes walked down the path and then down the sidewalk. He glanced up and down the street and it took a few seconds for him find the agents in the unmarked car. He closed the door and turned back to Donna.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked as he walked towards her.

"I just can't believe this is happening," she said. "Maybe it would have been better to stay in DC."

"Nothing will happen," he claimed, wrapping his arms around her. "We're safe here...Like Wes said, no one knows we're here...C.J was asked before all this, what the Senior Staff were doing over Thanksgiving and she said we were all staying in town and we haven't released any new information."

"So, we're better off here?" She questioned, pulling back a little to look up at him.

He shrugged. "As long as you don't leave me alone with your family, I'd say so."

She slapped his arm lightly. "They're not that bad."

"Good, because we're going to be spending five days with them." He pulled her back to him. "And I want you be happy while we're here."

"You made the effort to come with me even with everything that's going on," she replied. "That makes me happy."

He smiled and leaned down, kissing her softly.

"Come on, lets take our bags upstairs before my parents turn up."

He grabbed both their bags and followed her upstairs. She lead him into the room that used to be hers but now it was a guest room, with a simple bed, a set of drawers and a closet. The walls were painted a boring off-white.

"Maybe we should have just gone to a hotel." She said, when she saw that her parents had removed all her personal effects from the room.

"This will be fine." He tired to assured her with a smile.

She sighed and sat down the bed. He placed the bags down and sat beside her. He wasn't used to being the one doing the reassuring. That was Donna'sjob.

"You hungry?" He asked. Lately it seemed she was always hungry.

She shook her head.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

She shook her head again.

"Donna?" He placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her head so she was looking at him. "I don't like it when you're like this...Tell me what to do and I'll make it better?"

She couldn't help but smile slightly. Then her it faded and tears filled her eyes.

"Just tell me everything is going to be okay."

"Of course it will." He replied, using his thumb to wipe away a tear. "I'm Josh Lyman, I'll charm your parents. By the end of the week, they'll love me....And when we get back to DC, the FBI and the Secret Service will have taken care of the rest."

"What about the baby?"

He unintentionally tensed at the mention. "Well, we still have a few months to wait for that, right?"

"You're not happy."

"What?"

"You're not happy about the baby," she stated.

"Donna..."

"You haven't talked to me about...Every time I've mentioned it, you change the subject..." She stood up and moved away from him.

"What do you want me to say?" He sighed. "It's not a baby yet...It's just a bunch of cells...!"

"It's our baby!" She exclaimed.

"I know that. But it's still new to me," he stated. "I'm not used to the idea."

"When will you be used to the idea?" She asked. "Because in 8 months, I'm going to need you to be ready."

"I will be."

"How do you know?" She whispered.

"Because Leo said so," he joked.

"Josh..."

"It's going to be fine," he said gently, reaching out and taking her hand. "I promise."

"But..."

"Don't worry," he pulled her into his arms.

"I just want us to be a family," she mumbled into his chest.

"We will be," he said. "I guess, I'm just a little bit freaked out."

"Me too."

He looked down at her; suddenly feeling guilty. He had been so concerned about how he was feeling about becoming a Dad that he never thought she might be having a hard time too.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "How can I make it better?"

She shrugged in reply.

"Lie down," he pulled her towards the bed.

"Josh..."

"You're tired," he claimed. "Take a nap so you'll be ready to face your parents."

"Okay, I guess that is a good idea," she nodded and sat on the bed. "But you've got to take a nap too."

He smiled. "I guess, I'd be okay with that."

She waited until he lay down and then she cuddled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and putting her arm across his torso.

After a few minutes of them just lying there, holding each other; Donna sat up a little and looked down at him.

"I'm sorry, I shouted at you."

"I'm sorry too."

Just as she leaned down to kiss him, the door flew open, startling them both and causing them to jump apart.

"Hi, Mom, Dad..." Donna said, trying to sound casual.

Her parents stood in the door way, staring at them.

"Umm, this is Josh..." She continued, when no one spoke.

"Hi," Josh said and got up, reaching out to shake their hands. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too..." Donna's mother replied but neither of them moved to take his hand. "Well, we'll be downstairs stairs when you're ready."

When the door closed behind them, Josh turned and fell face first onto the bed. He couldn't believe how badly his first meeting with Donna's parents had gone.

**TBC**

**Please review!!! **


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